Teenage Dogs In Trouble: Winnipeg Folk Festival And Live At Hollywood High

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Winnipeg Folk Festival And Live At Hollywood High

Sorry for the lack of posts for the past two weeks, but I've been busy attending shows during the Winnipeg Fringe Festival this week and I actually made it to one day of the Winnipeg Folk Festival. For the past three years I have attended only one day of the WFF, but I'm starting to think I really should go more days and I'm even considering a full weekend pass next year. It's been almost two decades since I bought a weekend pass because of kids, lack of cash and generally not been too excited about the acts, but I've come to realize it's the "event" and the people you are with that make it worth it. This year, two friends from Philly and Calgary (both ex-Peggers), made the trip home specifically for the festival, I sort of regret going only for one day. There was so much more music I would have liked to have explored and it would have given me a more of a chance to hang out with these guys, since we all have a similar unique taste in music. The day I attended was Sunday, the last day of the Fest and it featured many of bigger-name acts such as Sarah Harmer, Gord Downie, Andrew Bird, as well as some lesser-known discoveries I enjoyed; The United Steel Workers Of Montreal, Ukrainia, Jim Bryson (w/Weakerthans), The Moondoggies, Works Progress Administration and Rock Plaza Central. All those bands are worth seeking out and I'm curious to hear more. Good music and perfect weather!

I did get in a bit of recording, capturing the "Too Close For Comfort" day show with Downie, Harmer, Bryson and the Weakerthans. I huge crowd, with two of the main stage acts that night and the recording turned out pretty good with the usual wind noise and crowd chatter. An even better sounding recording was the "Bound For Glory" workshop with the Moondogs, WPA and RPC. As far as the main stage, I only recorded Sarah Harmer's set and that too turned out better than I expected. I have come to expect the recordings from the main stage to be full of chatter and other distractions and that can't be avoided because it is a large outdoor show where the audience members sit on plastic tarps, kind of like a picnic with friends and family, visiting and talking. I have not listened to the recordings in their entirety or had time to separate the tracks and make set lists, but I will post some or all of the recordings as soon as I can, but I am really busy right now and going on vacation next week. Realistically it won't be until the first week of August...stay tuned.

Last year I only went to the special Wednesday evening show at the Winnipeg Folk Festival mainly to see Elvis Costello. In case you missed it, I posted my recording of Elvis' set and it can be still downloaded here. As a reminder of how great a performer he was and still is, I'm posting a recording from E.C. and the Attractions from a 1978 concert at Hollywood High that was released in it's entirety in 2010. Three songs from the concert were released on a bonus 7" vinyl included with initial pressings of Armed Forces. A 2002 re-release of Armed Forces added 6 more tracks to the three ( 9 in total), but it wasn't until this year that Live At Hollywood High got it's own release with the full 20 tracks from the concert. This release is part of an ongoing series in the Costello Show live performance series. This is an essential set of music and offers a sample of a great period of music Costello produced in the late 70's. Much like the classic, Live At El Mocambo concert, this is a must-listen to any Elvis fan!

ELVIS COSTELLO AND THE ATTRACTIONS
Live At Hollywood High (2010)
Date of show: June 4, 1978